Oppose HHS legal unit for unaccompanied children

Mary Gay Scanlon opposes HHS creating an in-house division to provide legal services to unaccompanied immigrant children. She argues that government-employed attorneys would face conflicts of interest because HHS oversees children’s care and custody, while lawyers may need to challenge agency decisions or seek children’s release to safe sponsors. She supports maintaining independent legal representation for these children, as HHS has provided through outside legal-services providers.

Context: The statement opposes the specific proposed HHS division and supports the existing independent-provider approach; it does not specify a new funding or implementation plan.

In their own words

We urge you to eliminate this division immediately

The source

Mary Gay Scanlon: opposing a specified federal policy

Published: 11/10/2026
Retrieved: 11/11/2026